You could say a chorus of approval greeted “One Voice,” Lisette Flanary’s documentary about the 2008 Kamehameha Schools Song Contest: It won the audience choice award when it premiered at the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival, took home similar honors from that year’s San Diego Asian Film Festival and was named best documentary at last year’s San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

But tonight marks the first time most people on the Mainland will have a chance to experience the musical, cultural and emotional journey of students at the prestigious school for Native Hawaiians: “One Voice” airs at 10 p.m. today on KQED’s Channel 9 as part of a nationwide PBS broadcast.

“I like to say it’s a social justice documentary masquerading as a feel-good film,” quips Ruth Bolan, executive director of Pacific Islanders in Communication (PIC), which co-produced the hour-long film. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak and where you’re from — when you hear these kids singing, you just get it how important it is to preserve this language and this music.”

Every Kamehameha Schools high school student participates in the annual song contest, with each class harmonizing a cappella in Hawaiian with boys, girls and coed divisions. “The song contest is a huge, huge thing here locally; it streams now on the Internet and people watch it all the time,” notes Bolan, who learned of the competition when she moved to the islands some 15 years ago, after marrying a Hawaiian man.

“I was walking through the living room seeing all these teenage boys covered in flowers and singing their hearts out, and I thought, ‘What is that?’ My husband’s tutu said, ‘Oh, that’s the song contest, it happens every year.’ And I said, ‘No, you don’t understand — teenage boys on the continent don’t do that,’ ” she recalled in a phone conversation from Honolulu this week. “Years later, when I got this job as executive director of PIC, I just knew that it was one of the documentaries I wanted to make. The music is so beautiful, the four-part harmonies are exquisite.”

KQED will also air “One Voice” (see trailer below) at 4 a.m. Saturday, with additional showtimes May 13-15 on KQED Life (Comcast 189). But those are far from the only opportunities to learn more of Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture through public television. The first season of PIC’s new Pacific Heartbeat series of documentaries is airing on more than 80 percent of PBS stations nationwide, albeit on varying times and days. Below is the KQED schedule for the next four installments, with descriptions taken from the series Web site (with trailers at the end of the post); two more seasons are also planned.

… (The film) provides an insider’s peek into the unparalleled talent and camaraderie of the Waimea ‘Ukulele and Slack Key Guitar Institute, held annually in the quaint cowboy town of Waimea on Hawai‘i Island. During the five-day event, some of the world’s finest ‘ukulele and slack key guitar artists gather to share their passion for music with aspiring musicians, fans, and one another through one-of-a-kind workshops and rousing concert performances. Featured musicians include Muriel Anderson, Danny Carvalho, Benny Chong, Kalai Ho‘opi‘i, Richard Ho‘opi‘i, Bobby Ingano, Ledward Kaapana, Mike Kaawa, David Kamakahi, Dennis Kamakahi, Ozzie Kotani, Sonny Lim, Aaron Mahi, Chino Montero, Cyril Pahinui, and Jeff Peterson.

Mon., May 14, 8 p.m.: “Keola Beamer: Mālama Ko Aloha (Keep Your Love),” co-produced by the renowned musician, who performed at Stanford University last Sunday with Raiatea Helm, and Pennybacker. (Also airs at 2 a.m. May 15.)

“The idea of Aloha is Hawai’i’s greatest gift to the world. But a lot of people don’t know what it is, or how to find it, or how to discover it in our own hearts.” These words, spoken by legendary Hawaiian composer and musician Keola Beamer, provide insight to the multi-cultural musical collaboration featured in the PBS Hawaii production “Keola Beamer: Mālama Ko Aloha (Keep Your Love).” Based upon Beamer’s belief that musicians from different backgrounds can remain true to their own cultural heritage while learning and incorporating ideas from others, Mālama Ko Aloha features inspiring and unique musical performances by Beamer and a brilliant ensemble of musicians including Native American flute player R. Carlos Nakai and American jazz pianist virtuoso Geoffrey Keezer.

Mon., May 21, 11 p.m.: “Under a Jarvis Moon,” which won the Best Documentary award at the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival, was produced and co-directed by Heather Giugni and Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu, whose grandfather was one of the Line Islands colonists featured in the documentary. Note: Amelia Earhart fans will want to tune in. (Also airs at 5 a.m. May 22.)

… (It’s) the story of 130 young men from Hawai‘i who, from the late 1930s through the early years of World War II, were sent on a clandestine mission by the U.S. Federal Government to occupy desert islands in the middle of the Pacific. The first wave of these colonists were Hawaiian high school students, chosen because government officials assumed that Pacific Islanders would be best able to survive the harsh conditions present on the tiny, isolated islands. For the young men, who were unaware of the true purpose of their role as colonists, what ensued is a tale of intrigue, courage, and ultimately, tragedy. Amazingly, these men (four of whom are still alive) are only now being recognized for their sacrifice, and efforts are underway for the United States to officially acknowledge them for serving their country.

In 1974, Hawaiians sailed the traditional voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a from Hawai‘i to Tahiti and proved to the world that their ancestors had explored the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean by navigating with the stars. “Papa Mau: The Wayfinder” is the story of critical role that master navigator Mau Piailug played in that voyage, and the rebirth of Polynesian unity and pride that followed. The Hōkūle‘a was built by members of the newly formed Polynesian Voyaging Society, who dreamed of sailing in the way of their ancestors. Shortly thereafter, a search began for someone who could teach them the art of non-instrument navigation, which had been all but lost until they met Micronesian-born Mau, who agreed to share his knowledge. Follow the remarkable journey of an iconic voyaging canoe and a new generation of Hawaiian navigators who, under the guidance of Papa Mau, revitalized and reclaimed Polynesia’s voyaging tradition.

Unfortunately, I missed the KQED airing of “There One Was an Island –Te Henua e Nnoho,” directed by Briar March, but those in Northern California who are able to see Sacramento’s KVIE or Cotati’s KRCB public television stations are in luck. It airs on KVIE at 11 p.m. May 30, 7 p.m. May 3, 3 p.m. June 1 and 5 a.m. June 2, and on KRCB at 8 p.m. May 31. (Warning: The preview alone, the last Youtube clip posted below, brought me to tears. It’s powerful.)

… (The film) gives a human face to the issue of global climate change. It is the story of a Pacific Island community fighting to preserve what really matters in the face of rising tides. Takuu Atoll is an idyllic home to articulate, educated people who maintain a 1,200-year-old culture and language. The island is disintegrating and when scientists arrive to investigate, residents realize that their attempts to preserve the atoll are making the situation worse. With limited means of communication or outside support, the people of Takuu must make the heart-wrenching decision of whether to risk their safety and remain on their beloved island or become environmental refugees and begin new lives in neighboring, but foreign, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. “There Once Was an Island — Te Henua e Nnoho” is a sobering exposé on climate change and how a community’s sense of identity will be lost in the rising tides.